FLOWER OF THE WEEK AT SOPCHOPPY DEPOT PARK

Cardinal flower

By LYNN ARTZ, SANDY TEDDER and DAVID RODDENBERRY

Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is a stunning aquatic wildflower. Its brilliant scarlet flowers stand out from afar. Each showy flower has three spreading lower petals and two upper petals that unite into a tube at the base. Cardinal flower depends on hummingbirds for pollination as most insects cannot navigate the long tubular flowers. The nectar attracts swallowtail butterflies. Bumblebees steal nectar through slits in the tube. Cardinal flower occurs naturally in swamps and ponds and along streams and rivers. It can be grown in moist-to-wet, humus soil that never dries out. In the southern US, it grows best in filtered sunlight and afternoon shade. Cardinal flower is a short-lived perennial that reseeds itself. Some plants die after flowering. Cardinal flower is blooming now in the swale at Sopchoppy Depot Park.